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Mumbai Indians lift second IPL title with a 41-run win over CSK

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Mumbai Indians second IPL

Kolkata: A far too superior Mumbai Indians crushed Chennai Super Kings under the weight of a daunting asking rate on Sudnay Ato lift the coveted Indian Premier League title for the second time, in a virtual replay of the final between the two sides in 2013 at the same venue Eden Gardens.

Put in to bat, Mumbai gave an awesome batting display to plunder 202/5, and then restricted Chennai to 161/8, finishing with a 41 run victory before a capacity 66,000 plus crowd at the iconic ground.

Chasing the tough target, Chennai Super Kings lost an early wicket and never quite seemed like taking up the challenge,virtually choking Aunder pressure as the asking rate kept mounting. In the end, the battle seemed quite one-sided.

Two years back, Mumbai had defeated Chennai by 23 runs to annex their maiden title at the Eden.

Mumbai now have evened with Chennai and Kolkata Knight Riders – each having been crowned champions twice.

Chennai began their reply on the wrong note, as Mike Hussey (4) departed cheaply, but Dwayne Smith (57; 48b, 9×4, 1×6). and Suresh Raina (28; 19b, 3×4, 1×6) set out to repair the damage and take the battle into the opponent camp with a 66-run second wicket stand.

However, veteran office Harbhajan Singh – on a high after his recall to the Indian team – showed the door to Smith, and that proved to be the turning point of the game, as CSK never got going after that.

Wickets tumbled, as Raina became Harbhajan’s victim in the tweaker’s next over, while Dwayne Bravo (9) and skipper M S Dhoni (18) also could not do much.

The dye was cast, and once Dhoni went back in the 16th over, with the score reading 124/5, it was all over. AA

For the winners, Mitchell Mcclenaghan (3/25), Lasith Malings (2/25) and Harbhajan Singh (2/34) were the main wicket takers.

Earlier, , the Mumbai Indians built their innings around two partnerships, as they set an asking rate of 10.15 for Chennai on a flat strip.

A rollicking 119-run second-wicket stand between opener Lendl Simmons (68; 45b, 8×4, 3×6) and skipper Rohit Sharma (50; 26b, 4×6, 6×2) took the team to a position of solidity after the loss of opener Parthiv Patel in the opening over itself.

Kieron Pollard (36; 18b, 2×4, 3×6) and Ambati Rayudu (36; 24b, 3×6) then forged a 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket off only 40 balls to pile on the Chennai Super Kings bowlers’ misery.

Rohit, who has always found Eden a happy hunting ground, went on the offensive from the word go, smacking Mohit Sharma for 16 runs in the second over, before unleashing some exquisite strokes during his stay in the middle.

Caribbean Simmons also played with his characteristic flamboyance, but reached his half century with a somewhat lucky shot, an edge, as Pawan Negi only managed to get his hands to the leather before it slipped out. The batsmen ran two, and Mumbai were 98/1 at the halfway stage.

Dwayne Bravo finally broke the partnership by foxing Rohit with a slower ball. Mumbai were 120/3 in 12 overs.

Simmons returned in the very next delivery, yorked by Dwayne Smith.

Rayudu then joined Pollard, who belted Nehra for 23 runs in the 17th over, that included three sixes and one boundary.

For Chennai, Dwayne Bravo (2 for 36) was the most successful bowler.

(IANS)

IPL: CSK beat RCB by three wickets to reach final

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IPL

Ranchi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the sixth time as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by three wickets in the qualifier 2 of the Twenty20 tournament at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Put in to bat, two-time runners-up RCB could only manage a modest total of 139/8 with left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scoring with 41. Sarfaraz Khan also played a handy innings of 31. Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers for CSK as he picked up 3/28 from his four overs.

In reply of the small target, two-time champions CSK were driven by a patient knock from veteran Michel Hussey, who scored 56 from 46 balls. The left-hander shared a useful 47-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) to help his side reach home with three wickets and a ball to spare.

With this win, CSK set up Sunday’s title clash with Mumbai Indians, who won the qualifier 1 against the same opponents on Tuesday.

Earlier, veteran pacer Nehra once again came good for CSK as he clinched 3/28 in his four overs, including the vital wickets of RCB skipper Virat Kohli (12) and explosive batsman AB de Villiers (1).

Nehra was well assisted by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who ended with brilliant bowling figures of 4-0-13-1, scalping Mandeep Singh (4). The duo did not allow the RCB batsmen to accelerate at all.

Though left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scored with 41, it wasn’t his usual innings as he played 43 balls and hit only two boundaries and three sixes.

Two important cameos from wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (28) and Sarfaraz Khan (31) helped augment RCB’s total at the end, but the top order failed to make an impact when it mattered the most.

Good bowling changes and field placements by CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also proved significant as Mohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo also clinched a wicket each to slow down the run rate and restrict RCB to 139/8.

During the chase, CSK also didn’t get a good start as their West Indian aggressive batsman Dwayne smith (17) pulled medium pacer Sreenath Aravind it to Mitchell Starc at deep square leg.

At this time, CSK were 21/1 in 3.1 overs and they could have lost their second wicket in the next delivery had Chris Gayle had not dropped Faf du Plessis, who edged to first slip in the very first ball he faced.

CSK had luck on their side on another occasion as RCB’s David Wiese induced an edge off opener Michael Hussey, who was then on 11, only for it was to be dropped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

However, du Plessis failed to grab the chance and went back to the dug-out after being bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the second ball of the 10th over. The South African right-hander made 21.

Two deliveries later, Chahal gave another blow to CSK by removing Suresh Raina (0). The Indian left-hander offered a catch to Wiese at long-off to leave CSK struggling at 61/3.

However, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking with ones, twos and odd boundaries before he played it to the hands of Harshal Patel off Wiese.

With 32 still required in 21 deliveries and skipper Dhoni not in his best of forms, it seemed RCB had a chance. But Dhoni and Pawan Negi (12 in six balls) ensured that they enter the final for the fourth time in the last five years.

Following this win, CSK proceed to the final to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday against 2013 champions Mumbai.

(IANS)

Rajasthan knocked out, RCB set up clash with CSK

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Royal-Challengers-Bangalore

Pune: An allround performance propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to an emphatic 71 run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) eliminator as the latter crashed out of the tournament here on Wednesday.

In reply to RCB’s formidable 180/4, the Royals were bundled out for a paltry 109 in 19 overs.

RCB now play Chennai Super Kings in the qualifier 2, with the winner facing Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in the May 24 final.

Ajinkya Rahane ploughed a lonely furrow for the Royals with a 39-ball 42, as none of the other batsmen came up with any notable contribution, as Sreenath Aravind, Harshal Patel, David Wiese and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets each for RCB.

Rajasthan were jolted early in their innings as inform batting allrounder Shane Watson (10) got out cheaply followed by the talented youngster Sanju Samson (5) who edged it to the keeper off a Harshal Patel delivery.

They could only manage to reach 40/2 in the powerplay as the willowers found it quite difficult playing the shots on the two paced strip.

Skipper Steve Smith (12), however, tried to anchor the innings but just as the Australian was getting into the groove, he lofted one straight down the throat of AB de Villiers at sweeper cover.

At the end of 10 overs, Rajasthan were reeling at 68/3.

The wickets kept on tumbling as the Royals felt the scoreboard pressure with the asking rate going up after every dot ball.

Rahane perished in the deep while Australian allrounder James Faulkner (4) was out caught and bowled by Sreenath Aravind after he managed to squeeze one up in the air off his boots.

From 55/3 in 8.1 overs, the Royals collpased to 95/8 in the 16th over, as the innings never got going.

Earlier in the day, de Villiers top scored for RCB with a 38-ball 66, while Mandeep with his unbeaten knock of 54 from 34 balls was the other major contributor as the duo put together a 113-run partnership.

Choosing to bat on a two paced wicket, RCB were off to a steady start as both openers Chris Gayle (27) and Virat Kohli cautiously negotiated the bowlers who kept hurling at an impeccable line and length.

But both Gayle and Kohli fell in quick succession and thereafter youngster Mandeep helped RCB reach 60/2 at the halfway stage after runs were down to a trickle.

However, de Villiers who had been quietly picking up the ones and twos, finally broke the shackles as he clobbered left arm spinner Ankit Sharma for 19 runs in the 15th over, in turn bringing up the 100 for his side.

Mandeep joined in the act as the duo cruised along on high gears notching 37 from the next 18 balls, which included two huge sixes from de Villiers off Chris Morris in the 18th over.

Though the South African got run out, Mandeep ensured they had a formidable total on the scoreboard.

For the Royals, Dhawal Kulkarni (2/28) was the pick of the bowlers.

(IANS)

Mumbai beat Chennai by 25 runs to enter IPL final

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Chennai Super Kings Mumbai Indians

Mumbai: A timely half-century by opener Lendl Simmons and some quality bowling helped Mumbai Indians secure a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 final with a 25-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday.

Simmons rose to the occasion as he scored 65 off 51 balls, which was followed by Kieron Pollard’s 17-ball 41 that helped Mumbai post a challenging 187/6.

In reply, Chennai lost wickets at regular intervals and were all out for 162 in 19 overs.

With this win, Mumbai entered the tournament’s final which will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on May 24.

Chennai will get a second chance to make it to the final. They will face the winner of the eliminator to be played on Wednesday between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the second qualifier in Ranchi on May 22.

Lasith Malinga (3/23), Harbhajan Singh (2/26) and R. Vinay Kumar (2/26) were the pick of the Mumbai bowlers.

Chasing 188 to win, CSK got off to the worst possible start losing opener Dwayne Smith without scoring off the fourth ball of the first over.

A full toss from pacer Lasith Malinga hit straight into Smith’s front pad which made it easy for the umpire to give the batsman out.

Incoming batsman Faf du Plessis looked in fine form right from the start. The South African along with opener Michael Hussey didn’t let the early wicket affect their scoring. With a couple of boundaries and sixes, CSK reached 46 in 5 overs.

But the very first ball of the sixth over brought the brakes in Chennai’s scoring as bowler Vinay Kumar got the vital wicket of Hussey (16). CSK were 46/2 in 5.1 overs then.

Suresh Raina and du Plessis took it from there to help the team reach a score of 86/2 in 10 overs.

But the over that followed saw the match swinging in the home side’s favour as Harbhajan Singh got rid of Raina (25) and skipper M.S. Dhoni (0) in successive deliveries to help Mumbai stay in the hunt.

Mumbai bowlers kept the bowling tight, making it difficult for the visitors to score.

Set batsman du Plessis (45 off 34 balls), looking to up the scoring rate, departed in the 14th over off the bowling of Jagadeesha Suchith.

It wasn’t over yet. Dwayne Bravo (20), Ravindra Jadeja (19), Pawan Negi (3) all fell thereafter.

Earlier, opting to bat, Mumbai got off to a modest start with openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel taking their time to get settled in the first four overs, scoring just 22.

Simmons broke the shackles in the fifth over as spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was hit for two sixes. Thirteen runs were scored of the over.

The over of Ashwin set the momentum for the home side as both the openers kept on striking the ball sweetly to all parts of the park thus bringing up the team’s 50 in 6.2 overs.

Simmons, who is Mumbai’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing season, once again proved his worth as he made a mockery of the bowling, thus bringing up his half-century off just 38 balls.

The West Indian also became the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and J.P. Duminy to score five half-centuries in an IPL season for Mumbai.

A bowling change by skipper M.S. Dhoni worked wonders for CSK as Dwayne Bravo got Parthiv (35) caught at long off. Mumbai’s score was 90/1 in 10.4 overs.

Simmons (65; 51b, 3×4, 5×6) who was looking good for a big score fell soon after in the 14th over off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

Incoming batsmen, skipper Rohit Sharma (19), Hardik Pandya (1), Ambati Rayudu (10) too went back to the pavilion in space of four overs.

Kieron Pollard (41; 17b, 1×4, 5×6) chipped in with a late cameo to help Mumbai reach a challenging score.

(IANS)

RCB, Royals face off in IPL Eliminator

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Royal-Challengers-Bangalore

Pune: A battle royale is on the cards when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Eliminator to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association International Stadium here on Wednesday.

The team which ends up second on the day will have to bid farewell to the eighth edition of the tournament and wait for another year to campaign for the coveted trophy.

The winner will face-off against the loser of Qualifier 1 — to be played in Mumbai on Tuesday — which will be either two-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) or 2013 winners Mumbai Indians — who have had an amazing turnaround in fortunes this season.

For both RCB and the Royals, the next game would be a distant thought as first they have to outdo each other in one of the fiercest contests of this summer with both teams boasting of immense firepower.

Speaking of batting, it came to the forefront for both teams in their last encounters of the league stage where the Royals had the better of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and RCB blasted away a formidable challenge from the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The last game for the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers against the Delhi Daredevils was a washout.

Against the Knights, it was Australian all-rounder Shane Watson who stood strong for the Royals, clubbing his way to an unconquered 104 off just 59 balls while it was Kohli and burly Jamaican Chris Gayle who stole the limelight in the game against Sunrisers as the Royal Challengers chased down 81 runs in barely six overs in a rain-curtailed tie.

Getting to the playoffs has not been a cakewalk for either, with both managing to win only seven of their 14 matches apiece — and in two cases each shared the spoils in rain-marred matches.

Nonetheless, the Royals will look to do a repeat of the inaugural edition where they clinched the title when most experts had written them off while RCB will look to holding aloft the trophy for the first time.

It is hard to separate the two outfits from their head-to-head encounters with each side pocketing seven of the 15 clashes between them.

It might just require a Herculean effort from the big guns to make a difference and clinch the contest on Wednesday night. Will it be Gayle, Kohli or AB de Villiers for RCB or will Watson and Steven Smith do it for the Royals?

Given the unpredictability of this format, it might also push up an unlikely hero in the form of a bowler like Mitchell Starc or Chris Morris.

(IANS)

Rain plays spoilsport, stop last IPL tie in Bengaluru

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ipl

Bengaluru: Moderate to heavy rain stopped further play on Sunday night between hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils in the last league tie of the IPL-8 at the Chinnaswamy stadium here.

As the 30-minute moderate rain turned into a downpour after 7 p.m. and rain gods did not relent, the two umpires — Kumar Dharmasena of Sri Lanka and Krishnamachari Srinivasan of India — abandoned the match and awarded a point each to both teams.

As the downpour continued relentlessly, the umpires had no option but to call off the match.

With rainwater flooding the ground and preventing resumption of play any more, the frenzied fans who flocked to the stadium in droves for an exciting contest were left disappointed.

When the sky opened up and rain descended, RCB openers Chris Gayle and skipper Virat Kohli ran for cover after playing 1.1 overs and scoring a run each.

Earlier, with dark clouds melting and a drizzle turning into moderate to heavy rain, the umpires stopped play and ordered ground staff to cover the pitch and the open field so that play could be resumed at the earliest.

“Though the match started on time at 4 p.m. and Delhi played its stipulated 20 overs to score 185 for 5 wickets, we were hoping rain gods would spare us rest of the night so that RCB could play 20 overs in chasing the target,” a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official told IANS during the interruption.

But just as rain stopped after 30 minutes and ground staff removed covers to resume play at 7 p.m., the rain gods returned with vengeance to pour all over and stop resumption of play further.

With one more point from this abandoned match, RCB gathered 16 points and climbed up to the second spot to play against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the qualifier on May 19 at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, as it was ahead of Rajasthan Royals with 1.037 net run rate against its 0.062.

RCB, which was the finalist in the tournament’s 2009 and 2011 editions, will also get a second chance to enter the final in the event of losing to CSK by playing against the winner of the eliminator on May 22 at Ranchi.

(IANS)

Mumbai brush aside Hyderabad to march into IPL play-offs

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Mumbai Indians Sunrisers Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Mumbai Indians produced a clinical bowling display to brush aside the might of Sunrisers Hyderabad, winning by nine wickets in a group stage match to advance to the play-off stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday.

Mumbai clinched the second spot in the standings with 16 points after the group stage with a superior run-rate, joining leaders Chennai Super Kings (18 from 14 matches), ahead of third-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore (16) and four-positioned Rajasthan Royals (16).

Mumbai made their task easier at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in a virtual knockout match when they bowled out Sunrisers for a mere 113 runs.

And then they had no problems in chasing down the small total, with their openers making short work of the task.

West Indian Lendl Simmons (48) and Parthiv Patel (51 not out) showed commendable understanding, mixing caution with aggression, to put together a solid 106-run opening stand that snuffed out any hopes Hyderabad might have harboured to make a match out of it after getting shot out at 113.

Earlier, a superb bowling display from Mumbai Indians enabled them to bowl out Sunrisers Hyderabad for a paltry total of 113 runs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner chose to bat. But their plans of capitalising on a pitch that was full of runs boomeranged spectacularly as they ran into trouble from the very first over of their innings.

Shikhar Dhawan, one of their batting mainstays departed after just 1 run, getting bowled by Sri Lankan pacer of the last ball of the first over, putting an end to his opening partnership with skipper David Warner (6) that has been SRH’s key to big totals in the tournament.

But that was just the beginning of what was a miserable batting performance as they lost their skipper on the very next delivery, caught by West Indian Kieron Pollard off a Mitchell McClenaghan delivery.

With their two best batsmen back in the hut, there was no way out for SRH who succumbed to the pressure losing wickets at regular intervals.

Credit must be given to the entire Mumbai bowling line-up who delivered in unison, keeping up the pressure on SRH batsmen.

They bowled a probing line and length and swiftly reduced SRH to 51 for five inside 10 overs with Hyderabad’s other two dependable foreign imports, England’s Eoin MOrgan (9) and Australia’s Moises Henriques (11) also back in the pavilion.

That broke the backbone of SRH’s batting. Any Hyderabad’s hopes of posting a strong total went up in smoke and they stomped and stumbled to 113.

Mumbai’s opening pacers Malinga (4/17) and McClenaghan (3/16) were spectacular. They bowled in tandem and struck crucial blows to their opponents.

Their good work was carried on by the slower bowlers, spearheaded by Harbhajan Singh (3/18).

(IANS)

IPL: Kohli, Gayle help RCB climb second on the table

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kohli

Hyderabad: Virat Kohli’s late blitz of 44 runs from 19 balls and Chris Gayle’s cameo helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in a rain-curtailed Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday.

Gayle smashed a 10 ball 35 and helped his side climb to second spot on the league table with 15 points from 13 games, while the Sunrisers drop to the fifth spot with 14 points from 13 matches.

Chasing a revised target of 81 runs from six over, the Challengers got over the line with a ball to spare and with six wickets in hand.

It was a tailor-made situation for the hefty Jamaican who relishes such challenges as he plundered 41 in the first two overs with Dale Steyn giving away 17 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being belted for 24 runs.

However, it was all-rounder Moises Henriques for SRH who got the hosts back into the contest as Gayle pulled one of his slower deliveries into the hands of the man at deep mid-wicket. South African skipper followed AB de Villiers fell off the very next delivery after lofting one to long on. The over produced just three as the visitors were reduced to 44/2 after three overs.

But it was Kohli who swung the pendulum in favour of RCB again belting Karn Sharma for 14 and then getting 10 of a Praveen Kumar over.

Needing 13 of the last over, it was Kohli who hit the winning runs lofting Bhuvneshwar for a straight six.

Earlier in the day, even though the hosts lost swashbuckling opener Shikhar Dhawan (8) early, David Warner and Moises Henriques kept on the pressure on the RCB bowlers clubbing them to the ropes frequently.

Yuzvendra Chahal was hit for 17 in the 5th over which brought up the team’s 50.

The next over from pacer Ashok Dinda yielded 18 runs as some wayward bowling helped Henriques put the leather into the stands.

Henriques went berserk against Harshal Patel, after being dropped in the opening delivery of the seventh over. 20 runs came off the over.

SRH reached the triple figure mark with three overs to spare as Warner kept playing second fiddle and giving the strike to his partner at the end who was having a gala time in the middle.

But Henriques soon fell after completing his half-century edging one to the wicket-keeper.

RCB pulled things back in the last few over but by then the damage had been done.

(IANS)

IPL: Mumbai beat Kolkata by five runs to keep play-off hopes alive

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Mumbai Indians

Mumbai: Yusuf Pathan’s late 52 off 37 went in vain as Mumbai Indians held their nerves till the end to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by five runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday and keep their play-offs hope alive.

With their win, Mumbai Indians climb from sixth spot to fourth spot with 14 points from 13 games, whereas Kolkata remain in second spot with 15 points from 13 games.

Kolkata managed to score 166/7 in 20 overs, in response to Mumbai Indians’ 171/4 in 20 overs.

For Mumbai, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, R Vinay Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kieron Pollard all picked up one wicket.

Chasing a challenging 172-run target, Kolkata got off to a modest start with openers skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa taking it easy from the start scoring 38 off the first five overs.

But third ball off the fifth over brought fortunes back for Mumbai as Harbhajan Singh got Uthappa (25) caught by Malinga. Incoming batsman Manish Pandey (1) too departed after a direct throw by Lendl Simmons got him run out.

Two quick wickets didn’t trouble skipper Gambhir (38 off 29 balls) as he went on scoring five boundaries and sneaking in with couple of quick singles.

But he too fell in the 11th over. Coming down the track again, looking to strike it big, spinner Suchith bowled it flat and yorked Gambhir to take out his leg stump. Kolkata score was 88/3 in 10.6 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan also went back to the pavilion after playing a short quick-fire innings off 23 off 15 balls, the score being 118/4 in 14.2 overs. Incoming hard-hitting batsman Andre Russell (2) was also dismissed by Malinga.

Earlier, put into bat, Mumbai got off to a modest start scoring 25 off the first four overs, but lost opener Parthiv Patel (21) in the second ball of the very next over. Patel ran down the track to hit spinner Hasan straight down the ground but ends up flicking it uppishly, which straight landed into the hands of Manish Pandey standing at deep midwicket.

Patel’s opening partner and in-form batsman Simmons (14) too didn’t last long. After hitting pacer Morne Morkel for a six off the previous ball, Morkel banged it in and Simmons failed to uppercut it, and ended up scooping it feebly into the hands of Pandey.

Incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (2) also didn’t trouble the scorers too much. With the wicket of Rayudu, Mumbai were struggling at 47/3 in 6.3 overs.

With wickets tumbling at the other end, skipper Rohit Sharma faced his game positively striking five boundaries in his short innings of 30 off 21 balls.

But a beauty from spinner Sunil Narine which Rohit failed to pick in the fourth ball of the 12th over saw the end of Rohit, leaving Mumbai at 79/4 in 11.4 overs.

But a late cameo by Hardik Pandya, 61 not out off 31 balls, with eight boundaries and two sixes and Kieron Pollard 33 not out off 38 balls helped Mumbai post a challenging score.

The duo remained unbeaten to pile up 92 runs partnership off 51 balls for the fifth wicket.

For Kolkata, Hasan (2/22) was the pick of the bowlers.

(IANS)

IPL: Punjab win rain-hit match against RCB

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KINGS-XI

Mohali: Bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 22 runs in a rain-curtailed Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCA) here on Wednesday.

Punjab remained at the foot of the standings with six points from 13 matches despite the win. Bangalore stayed at the fifth spot with 13 points from 12 matches.

Chasing a target of 107 runs in 10 overs, RCB managed only 84 for six. They sent their two destructive batsmen West Indian Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli to open the innings.

They began briskly picking up boundaries at every possible opportunity. But Kohli (19) in the third over was dismissed in trying to force the pace.

Gayle (17) soon followed his skipper getting caught while trying a big shot to reduce RCB to 44 for two in 4.4 overs.

With two of their best ball-bashers gone, the onus was on another renowned power hitter South African AB de Villiers (10) to lead RCB’s cause. But he departed early too putting RCB in a spot of bother at 67 for three in 6.4 overs.

They never recovered from the blow lost wickets regularly to fall short of the target by 22 runs, managing only 84 for six.

Earlier, Kings XI Punjab posted 106/6 in 10 overs.

Much before both the side’s skippers could get ready for the toss, rain halted their intentions. The toss was held at 10.30 pm, three hours later then the scheduled time. It reduced the Twenty-20 match to a 10-over per side contest.

RCB skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl, much to the relief of the fans at the stadium.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha was promoted up the order and he opened the batting with Manan Vohra, who scored 11 in six balls.

Bengal’s right-handed batsman Saha made most of the opportunity of batting up the order, hitting 31 in just 12 balls. His knock included five fours and a six.

Australia’s World Cup hero Glenn Maxwella¿s poor form continued as he made only 10 runs.

Later, South African left-hander David Miller made 14 of four balls while skipper George Bailey and hit 13 in nine deliveries.

Young Indian all-rounder Axar Patel remained unbeaten and contributed 20 runs from 15 balls.

For the visitors, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and right-arm medium pacer Harshal Patel took two wickets each, while left-arm pacer Mictell Starc got one wicket.

(IANS)

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